Rangefinder owners

I'm odd man out here but I've got a Leica and love it. Yes it was way more pricey then the other offering but it's very much a quality product with a lifetime warrenty vs. the 6 months to 1 year that you get with the top dogs. When I was shopping for mine I was seeing a lot of "refurbished" Bushnels and Nikon so that helped to steer me towards the Leica as well.

As far as purchasing goes, whatever you decide, get it from the states as the exchange rates have swung wildly in your favor.

+1 for the Leica. I have their "Pinseeker" model and find that it has first rate optics, sturdy construction and a nifty red, LED readout whose contrast adjusts to ambient light conditions. As the previous poster alluded to it is a bit more expensive, but I definitely agree you get what you pay for. I have ranged targets out to 225 yards with no problems. Just a great piece of equipment; runs on a 9V battery.

Go to their website and check their line out.

I have a lot of Nikon photo gear so I had no trepidation going with their rangefinder. It works beautifully and is the smallest of the laserfinders (which was a major factor for me).

I bought the Bushnell 1500 TE because Sergio Garcia said it's the best. :shout:

It got stolen and I didn't want to buy another one so I bought a Bushnell Medallist instead. Bought works very well but the 1500 has better magnification. Bought both off eBay.

Being a hunter i have always been a Bushnell fan, so the natural choice for me was Bushnell 1500 TE and i dont regret it one bit. The long "waist" strap fits perfectly around the top of my bag so its always a very easy grap point and go.

thanks for your responses, appreciate it. Does anyone know how much i can expect to have to pay in duty/taxes if i were to purchase one from the US?

And can anyone quote any prices they have paid either in the UK or elsewhere?

I have the Nikon 500G and like it a lot. Very small and compact, simple to use. $211 right now on Amazon with free shipping.

as you mentioned that i thought i'd take a look how much i could get it for in the uk, best price so far..........£259. I almost threw up.

I live in the UK and i'm looking to purchase a rangefinder so would love feedback from anyone that has already done so. Which model did u go for? Where did you purchase it? and for how much?

I bought my Bushnell Yardage Pro on ebay probably 4 years ago for $200 (I think they go for $270 new right now). It's the smallest one I've seen.

Pros: Small, lightweight, accurate

Cons: Uses expensive CR2 batteries (3V lithium), hard to hit a flag over approx 200 yards.

My dad has the Bushnell Pinseeker.

Pros: It has electronics to seek out the nearest object in the viewing area and give you distance to that object. IOW, it's easy to hit a small object from far away. Uses 9V battery.

Cons: Probably twice as large/heavy as the Yardage Pro

I bought the Bushnell 1500 TE because Sergio Garcia said it's the best. :shout:

 

It got stolen and I didn't want to buy another one so I bought a Bushnell Medallist instead. Bought works very well but the 1500 has better magnification. Bought both off eBay.

Did it get stolen right off your bag?

Has anyone used the Bushnell Medalist? this seems to be the only one i can get at a reasonable price with pinseeker (or equivalent) technology

The pinseeker technology is simply closest priority measurement where the closest object within the reticule is what measurement is returned. I think you will find most laserfinders to employ this mode (including the ones made by Nikon).

According to Bushnell the Medalist is only 4x magnification so you might want to steer clear of that one.

this was another question i had, obviously the more magnification the better, but how great a difference is there between the 4X of the medalist and say the 7X of the pinseeker tournament?

When you talk about high prices in the UK, exuse my ignorance, but why can't you just order it from Amazon in the USA on the internet? Is it not allowed to ship basic items like that from one country to another?

this was another question i had, obviously the more magnification the better, but how great a difference is there between the 4X of the medalist and say the 7X of the pinseeker tournament?

I may not be the best to answer this but from my research and what I've read the 7x is substantially better than the medalists 4x. Both of them will work well when you need to shoot a pin at 150yds but if you try and shoot one at 200 or so the 7x will be easier and more accurate than the 4x because of the magnification it gives you. The main problem with the 4x is that you have to have a super steady hand to shoot far targets whereas the 7x is a more forgiving because your target will look much larger... hope that helps answer your questions!

And could anybody comment on which on they would recommend and why, the Callaway LR1200 or the Pinseeker? Thanks

Note that more magnification does not make it any easier to hold steady, just easier to see. As magnification goes up, field of view decreases. With the smaller field of view... the same amount of movement is amplified proportionally to the increased magnification.

If you don't believe this try holding a 100x telescope by hand and you will quickly see it is not possible.

Based on my 6x Nikon, I gotta think 6x to 8x is ideal for golf. Less than that makes a pin at 200+ yards somewhat tough to see. More than that makes it pretty tough to hold steady.

Nikon 500G user here. Love everything about it. Only problem is that it's so small and light it's hard to hold steady on distance shots. Two hands are required. Had a buddy using it and he was shooting at the flag on the ground like a sniper. Group in front of us was talking about it and was asking what the hell he was doing.

Another 500G User here. Its phenomenal. One of the things I like best is its small enough to wear on my belt, so its always easy to reach. I typically don't have any problems shooting pins from 250 yds out - and can shoot them MUCH further out if they've got a reflector on the pin.

My dad has the Bushnell 1500, and he likes my Nikon much better because its easier for him to shoot pins.

[quote name='larrybud' post='796928' date='Nov 21 2007, 01:56 AM'][quote name='nshon' post='796309' date='Nov 19 2007, 09:30 PM']I bought the Bushnell 1500 TE because Sergio Garcia said it's the best.

It got stolen and I didn't want to buy another one so I bought a Bushnell Medallist instead. Bought works very well but the 1500 has better magnification. Bought both off eBay.[/quote]

Did it get stolen right off your bag?
[/quote]
Umm, let's the the domestic help thought it was a pair of binoculars.

[quote name='waters_boy' post='796938' date='Nov 21 2007, 02:16 AM']Has anyone used the Bushnell Medalist? this seems to be the only one i can get at a reasonable price with pinseeker (or equivalent) technology[/quote]

You don't lose much over the 1500TE except poorer magnification. I can find targets within 250m no problem.

Pros - Lightweight, Pinseeker technology, easy to use
Cons - Battery cover comes off REAL easy. I will lose it one day if I don't tape it down.

[quote name='atlanta golfer' post='797431' date='Nov 21 2007, 02:47 AM']When you talk about high prices in the UK, exuse my ignorance, but why can't you just order it from Amazon in the USA on the internet? Is it not allowed to ship basic items like that from one country to another?[/quote]

I did try purchasing the nikon 500g from amazon.com last night but it wouldn't let me as they will not post that item to the UK!?! which is very frustrating.

I'm going to continue to look but any other ideas of where to purchase would be much appreciated

This is where I got mine... good photo store and authorized Nikon Dealer.

[url="http://www.beachcamera.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=NKLRF500"]http://www.beachcamera.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=NKLRF500[/url]